At the Houston ISD’s Professional Learning Series this summer I attended a session that featured Lead4ward data reports and the Lead4ward App. I was expecting the Lead4ward app to access data reports on a mobile device. I was surprised to find out that the app didn’t link to data but serves as an interface that provides instructional strategies in an organized way to teachers. The app is a simple tool teachers/PLC’s can use to infuse different strategies and formative checks into instruction. The app is free and available in the IOS store.

Let’s look at the Lead4ward App interface. Below is the app's home screen.

The orange Quickchecks button leads to a list of instructional strategies that a teacher or PLC can chose to use.

Teachers can simply click on a strategy and the app guides them through the use of the strategy in a very simple format that can be applied to any learning environment and offers suggestions to extend thinking past the quickcheck. In the example below, I clicked on the 3-2-1 summary strategy.

The blue Think It Up button leads to a list of strategies that can extend a students thoughts and lead to deeper understanding of the standard.

The purple button Resources and Content Builders leads to resources that support Texas TEKS and STAAR testing data. There is good content here for Texas educators, but educators outside of Texas will not utilize this section of the app. The green button Professional development provides information and links to Lead4ward PD opportunities.

There is a timer at the bottom of the app that teachers can use in instruction. Timers are easy to find on youtube etc., but it's nice to have it accessible in the app. A teacher can have it open a Quickcheck or Think It Up once time expires.

In addition to the App the Lead4ward website offers valuable information to Texas teachers regarding standards. The website has resources that vertically align standards. When planning, teachers can quickly see which standards students have covered in previous grade levels. Using formative assessment teachers can assess if those standards have been mastered and scaffold instruction for students. Below is an example from English 1, however the website has content available in all core areas. The standard below is Figure 19 -reflect on understanding to monitor comprehension (e. g., asking questions, summarizing and synthesizing, making connections, creating sensory images). Take a look at how Lead4ward identifies the supporting standards from previous grade levels for a teacher.

In addition to the content from the app and website Lead4ward offers paid features with additional support for teachers. Having a solid list of strategies at a teacher's fingertips can facilitate conversations during planning within PLC's and lead to different paths for instruction. I am looking forward to using and sharing these resources with teachers on my campus.

What other apps have you found that organize strategies or help teachers when planning instruction?